We are thrilled to announce the recipients of this year’s Zeeland BPW Community Grant. Each of the awarded organizations have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to making our community thrive for generations to come and we are proud to support each of them.
Even though we wish we could support all who applied, it was an honor for our board to review all of the outstanding applications that were submitted this year. In the end, Zeeland Board of Public Works has awarded a total of $25,000 to four individual nonprofits.
Meet the Winners
Compassionate Heart Ministries
Awarded: $1,500
Compassionate Heart has been walking alongside families with children (ages 14-45) with mild to moderate disabilities and providing a family of support since 2006.
Compassionate Heart has been in their space for 8 years after moving from City on a Hill in 2016. Over the last few years, especially with the growth of their programs and the number of people in the building, it has become very apparent that they needed to improve and upgrade their infrastructure, provide better door controllers, video surveillance, and at the top of their list is improving the sound/video system for their various events held in their space.
Compassionate Heart has a history of giving back to the Zeeland Community and inviting the community into their space as well. The space has hosted various church services and groups, Special Olympic basketball teams, Tim Tebow Night to Shine Prom (with 500 people!), and many other organizations using their gym. The gym is a wonderful space, but setting up the small speakers and the out-of-date sound board made it very hard for people to hear what is being said.
With so many groups using the space, now is the time to make their building more user-friendly, safer, and easier for people to hear/see. The funds awarded to Compassionate Heart will go towards improving the infrastructure “so that ALL can see and hear.”
ZeeBus
Awarded: $2,500
The ZeeBus is Zeeland Public Schools mobile summer literacy program and has been rolling through Zeeland for 20 years, bringing thousands of students quality age appropriate books all summer long.
Many children do not have access to books during the summer months because of various barriers such as transportation, finances, distance to public libraries and economic resources. The lack of access to books causes what is commonly referred to as summer reading set back; meaning that a student’s reading level will decrease during the summer if they do not practice their reading skills. Subsequently, they will spend a good part of the following school year catching back up to where their reading level was the previous spring. The ZeeBus provides access to books all summer long, hoping to help reduce the reading setback in students.
This summer, the ZeeBus is expected to pass out books to nearly 75 families a week across 16 story times and is fully funded by grants and donations from local businesses and organizations. Zeeland BPW is proud to be a part of their bright future.
Outdoor Discovery Center
Awarded: $6,000
The Outdoor Discovery Center (ODC) is a local network of nonprofits that strive to advance outdoor education and conservation in West Michigan. Since 2000, ODC Network has served more than 1.3 million people through hands-on, outdoor learning experiences and conserved thousands of acres of native habitat through restoration and preservation projects.
ODC is launching a Zeeland Community Rainscaping Program. Rainscaping uses practices like rain barrels, rain gardens, native plantings, and tree plantings to manage rainwater where it falls. The main goal is to reduce the amount of stormwater that flows into storm sewers and then to lakes and streams untreated. Additional benefits include water conservation, reduced maintenance, increased pollinator habitat, and improved aesthetics.
This round of funding will help raise awareness of rainscaping in the Zeeland BPW service area. The project will include outreach to residents, hosting an educational workshop, completing site assessments for homeowners, working with several homeowners to plan and install practices, and hosting a rain barrel workshop.
The ODC Network intends to continue working in the Zeeland Community after the initial project concludes. Once awareness is increased, they will recruit and train volunteers from within the Zeeland community to help support the program.
City on a Hill
Awarded: $15,000
City on a Hill (COAH) was established in 2006 with the purchase of the vacated Zeeland Hospital for the purpose of leveraging space to meet growing needs in the Holland/Zeeland community by offering affordable space for nonprofit organizations. COAH offers lease rates well below the current market value (currently 40-50% below) and provides free utilities, convenient parking, meeting rooms, as well as internet and phone service.
As a part of City on a Hill’s 3-year strategic plan, the funds received from this grant will go towards their CitySpark campaign to make improvements to their building to better serve their 40+ nonprofits and individuals. Improvements to the building include tech updates, roof replacement, wayfinding main entrance renovation, parking lot updates, and security initiatives throughout the building.
Looking Ahead
Each year as the grant applications are received, reviewed, and funded, we feel immensely hopeful for the future of Zeeland and its residents. Our vision is to see Zeeland thrive for years to come and we believe each of the above recipients will continue to further that vision.
To learn more about the Community Grant, you can visit zeelandbpw.com/community-grant. Applications will be open again next spring. Stay tuned for years of thriving to come.